1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to computer systems and more specifically relates to a mechanism and method for accessing data stored in a predefined format in a database using a tagged markup language interface.
2. Background Art
The development of the EDVAC computer system of 1948 is often cited as the beginning of the computer era. Since that time, computer systems have evolved into extremely sophisticated devices that may be found in many different settings. Computer systems typically include a combination of hardware (e.g., semiconductors, circuit boards, etc.) and software (e.g., computer programs). As advances in semiconductor processing and computer architecture push the performance of the computer hardware higher, more sophisticated computer software has evolved to take advantage of the higher performance of the hardware, resulting in computer systems today that are much more powerful than just a few years ago.
Many modem computer systems are a complex combination of different hardware and software that are interconnected on a network. Networks allow computers to share information. Shared information may be stored in a central database. Accessing data in a central database generally requires a user interface that allows a user to structure database queries to retrieve needed information. One example of a popular user interface for retrieving data in a database is known as Structured Query Language (SQL). SQL has a distinct syntax that a person must adhere to in order to retrieve data from a database. Thus, a person that needs to access data in the database must be familiar with one or more specialized software tools for retrieving the needed data from the database. Without a way for a user to easily access data in a database without knowing a specialized database query language, only users that have specialized skills will be able to access this data, making widespread dissemination and use of the data unlikely or problematic.
According to the preferred embodiments, an apparatus and method defines a markup language for accessing data in a database. The markup language is preferably defined in extensible markup language (XML) by creating suitable document type definitions (DTDs), which define the grammar for accessing data in the database using the markup language. A bridge interprets the data request from the client in markup language format, a suitable database query for the database is formulated, and the data is then placed within a document for delivery in markup language format to the user. As new data types are added to the database, corresponding document type definitions (DTDs) may be dynamically generated, allowing a user to access new kinds of data in a database with a software tool that has a user-friendly graphical user interface without having to manually update the software tool for each new data type that is added to the database.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.